Every Time I See You, I Love You 50 Times More
by CatrinaSL
Summary: A collection of very short MoriHaruhi drabbles written for the 50lovequotes community on livejournal.
1. To Get To Me

** Disclaimer:** Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Bisco Hatori, bless her. The feeble attempts at capturing Mori & Haruhi's character in this story, however, belong to meeee...

**Author's Note:** I have stolen this pairing for my own on the livejournal community 50lovequotes. I will most likely be posting all of them here after this one, so please enjoy and feel free to abuse ahem um... review them at your leisure. Thank you!  
This particular story is the first quote, "I would go anywhere to get to you, so why is it that all you have to do is smile to get to me?"

..

Morinozuka Takashi was running through the halls. Boys dodged out of his way while girls swooned. Mori was even dreamier than usual when he ran... he looked determined to get to something. "Hani-sempai, probably," one girl remarked. Mori ran past, unaffected. The truth was, he wasn't hurrying to get to Mitsukuni. He was looking for something.

It wasn't in the third music room.

It wasn't in 1-A's classroom.

It wasn't in any of the libraries.

"Mori-sempai!" Takashi stopped so quickly that he almost tripped over himself. He hopped quickly back to the open door of the second medical center. "Did you come to find me? I cut myself rather badly in cooking class, I'm afraid... Is Kyoya-sempai angry with me?" She was preoccupied with the medical attendant wrapping her hand and didn't manage to catch the look of anguish and horrified worry that crossed Mori's face. She thanked the medical attendant, stood, and seeing him staring at her, smiled to show that everything was okay.

"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.

"It did at first, but I was able to get some pain reliever." He rested his hand on top of her head as they walked toward the music room.

"Good."

_I would go anywhere to get to you, so why is it that all you have to do is smile to get to me?_


	2. Don't Hold Back

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC. I only fangirl at it occasionally.

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The twins clung to one another in their usual way, tears forming in the corners of their eyes, their fangirls shrieking as Hikaru apologized to Kaoru. From across the room, Haruhi sighed. The scene was replayed every day, but still the fangirls ate it up. They even believed the tears that were always present on the angelic faces of the twins.

She shook her head. She had her own customers to tend to, and today it was especially hard.

"Is something wrong, Haruhi?" one of her regulars asked, as she timidly laid a hand over Haruhi's.

"I'm sorry, ladies, I was just a little distracted, please forgive me," Haruhi said, turning to her customers with a smile. The girls swooned at her, and Haruhi glanced to the opposite side of the room, where Mori-sempai was entertaining some ladies near Hani-sempai, who was happily being fed cakes. Mori paused also and looked at Haruhi.

"How are your classes going, Haruhi?" one of her customers asked suddenly.

"Yes," said another, "How was that Physics exam last week? I just got my results back and I'm going to have to work a lot harder than I thought!"

"The... Physics exam?"

Haruhi's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the King of Interruptions, Tamaki himself. He thanked all the ladies for attending the Host Club and wished them all a safe ride home. Within 5 minutes, the room was completely empty save the handsome men in the Host Club and a worried looking Haruhi. Kyoya began to discuss next week's cosplay theme with Tamaki, the twins set about to make Tamaki's life miserable, Hani settled further down in his chair with the determination to finish his cakes, and Mori wondered why Haruhi's face was cloudy.

"Haruhi."

"The... Physics exam..." she mumbled. Mori stood next to her chair as she competely ignored his presence and waited for her to compose herself. One by one or two by two, the members of the Host Club disappeared from the room.

Hani-sempai shoveled in one last delicious mouthful of cake, grinned happily, and hugged Usa-chan tight. He glanced around the room for Takashi, and smiled when he spotted him. He and Usa-chan quietly left the room.

"Haruhi."

"Sempai..." Haruhi managed to say as she burst into tears. "My Physics exam!" She launched herself at Mori. He accepted her into his arms and held her as she sobbed. "I must've... I must've spent too much time with this useless Host Club!"

Mori's eyes widened as he looked down at the tiny girl in his arms. Taller than Mitsukuni, of course, but her frame was much more... frail and female. And she was crying.

And all of a sudden her tears were on his cheeks because his lips were on her lips.

Outside, the twins were running toward their limo at top speed, Kyoya was quietly striding toward his, and Tamaki and Mitsukuni stopped to look back at the Third Music room's windows.

"Where did Haruhi go? Oh, Daddy was lost in his thoughts for one moment and his daughter is lost!" he fretted loudly. "Have no fear, my sweet child, Daddy will find you!"

Mitsukuni smiled. _"Kisses are like tears,"_ he said quietly, _"the only ones that are real are the ones you can't hold back."_ He clutched Usa-chan tighter to his chest and walked toward his own limo. Tamaki stopped in mid-stride on his quest back to the school and chased after Hani.

"What do you mean by that, Hani-sempai? Do you know where my lost daughter is? Hani-sempai!"

In the Third Music room, Takashi wiped away Haruhi's tears and kissed her again.

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Reviews are much appreciated! 


	3. Your Reason

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these unique and wonderful characters, nor the world they live in. The person that we can thank for their existence is someone far more artistically talented than I.

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It's funny how someone can live each and every day without knowing that their existence is the reason you live. For years, that person, for Takashi, had been Mitsukuni. The day he realized that it wasn't, the three of them were alone in the music room. The twins had stayed home that day and Kyoya and Tamaki were off at a meeting with the newspaper club. Takashi was sitting on a couch, watching Misukuni, who was sitting at the window seat. Haruhi strode up next to the blonde and watched the rain streaking across the window.

"Haru-chan?" Takashi heard Mitsukuni ask.

"Yes?"

"What is your dream? I mean... what is your reason for living?"

Takashi looked up in surprise and watched the two of them for a moment, searching inside himself for the answer to his best friend's question. He was so absorbed that he didn't get to hear Haruhi's answer. After a few minutes of silence, his realization knocked him off of the couch.

"Haruhi," he murmured.

"Takashi?" he heard Mitsukuni, but he could only see Haruhi, the innocence in her face as she turned to him, wondering what he had to say to her.

"Yes, Mori-sempai?"

"Ah- um..." Takashi righted himself and tried not to blush.

Mitsukuni smiled knowingly. "Are you all right, Takashi?"

"Ah, yes." Someday he would be. Someday he was sure that he would make Haruhi his.

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Reviews are always appreciated. 


	4. Healthy Jealousy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, nor the world they live in, but I am a little jealous of Haruhi from time to time.

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She laughed. Her eyes were gorgeous when she laughed, every guy sitting at that picnic table knew it. 

She flipped her hair. It had gotten longer since high school, not as long as it had been in junior high, but long enough to flip over her shoulder, and make every male in a 10 foot radius follow her soft hair with his eyes.

She shook her head and pointed out a classmate's mistake. She looked so studious. A pencil behind her ear- she was one of the top students in her major, and every one of her male classmates wished they could have her for a tutor.

She looked up. Her adoring fans followed her loving gaze to her tall and imposing firey eyed fiance.

She bid them all goodbye.

"Why do you tutor them?" he asked as they walked off alone. "If they can't understand how to read a brief by now, I'm clueless as to how they got into Tokyo University's law program in the first place."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at his protest. If there had been any other men in the vicinity, they would have been plotting her fiance's death.

"Are you so bothered by it? It's not that different from what we used to do in the Host Club, only now I'm doing it for money instead of paying back a debt."

"I'm- not bothered," he said, and passed a hand over his brow as his blush said the opposite.

"Yes you are, you wouldn't have said a thing if you weren't." His blush got darker. She laughed, her eyes sparkling, and tossed her soft hair. "It's all right, you know they'll never replace you." His stoic demeanor returned and he reached for her hand.

She smiled up at him. _And besides,_ she thought, _A little jealousy in a relationship is healthy. It's nice to know that someone is afraid to lose you._

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Thank you for the reviews! Please continue to lend me your support. bows  



	5. Just to Watch You

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, written purely to amuse myself and perhaps some other people. (Please let me know if you are one of those other people. You will be contacted and sent a complimentary packet of kool-aid immediately.)

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Fujioka Kotoko brushed a lock of hair out of her husband's eyes. She smiled, and even though she did not necessarily have insomnia, she settled in to watch him sleep. And her daughter, having awoken quietly from a bad dream, unconsciously made this mental note: _find someone who will stay awake just to watch you sleep._

Years later, her daughter is cursing herself for agreeing to come on this stupid trip and vowing quietly to herself that as soon as she has a free moment she will escape and take the first Shinkansen home.

"Haruhiii!" Tamaki waved and managed to get knocked over by the ocean's ferocity. He recovered quickly and continued his enthusiasm. "Come to daddy! He will protect you from the angry waters!"

"How will he protect me if he can't even stay upright himself?" Haruhi didn't realize she wondered aloud, as Tamaki crashed over again.

"I'm sure he just wants to spend some time with you," the Tamaki-dubbed "okaa-san" responded from underneath his umbrella and trusty laptop. Haruhi's eyes narrowed.

"Why do you give in to his every whim?"

"Why do you agree to come along?"

"Why did I ever open the door to the Third Music Room?"

""HARUHI!"" the twins burst in on the question-and-no-answer session and dragged her off. She let herself be pulled into the shallows to play with a beachball. The game ended abruptly when her jealous "father" attacked one of the twins and the beachball miraculously popped. She trudged out of the water, wetter than she had wanted to be, and was immediately accosted by the third years.

"Come bash watermelons with us, Haru-chan!" Hani insisted.

"Not right now, Hani-sempai," she sighed.

"But watermelon is so good! Almost as good as cake! Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

"But won't Tamaki-sempai interrupt and ruin everything?"

"What?"

"Oh, I mean, I'm a bit tired right now, but I'll have some watermelon if you're breaking it." She followed her sempais up to a covered area. Tamaki chased the twins up toward them eventually, and even Kyoya joined them after he was finished closing his merger. They all had a snack together and then either wandered off or fell asleep in the sun.

Haruhi woke to the sunset. The water below her looked orange in the waning light, and waves glittered in her eyes. The shouts of Hani and the twins floated up to her, and she sat up to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Mori-sempai!" His eyes slid over and locked on hers. "Don't you... want to keep an eye on Hani-sempai?" He shook his head and pointed at the water. There she could see all the members of the Host Club scattered about, in or out of the water.

"Everyone went down to play, and left you here asleep. I didn't want to leave you alone." Haruhi blinked. It was a much longer explanation than usual.

"Did you get to take a nap, Sempai?" Mori shook his head, leaned back on his elbow and brushed some of the hair away from Haruhi's eyes.

"I wanted to watch you sleep." Haruhi could feel her face heating up.

"Sempai!" Mori caressed her cheek and leaned in, closer to her face. "D-don't you want to nap at least a little? W-we have a long ride back to town!"

"Okay," Mori sighed, and plopped down next to Haruhi, sleep taking over the romantic intent in his eyes.

Haruhi quickly sat up, putting her hands on her cheeks to cool them. _I thought he was going to kiss me!_ she thought, adding to her blush. She glanced down at the passed out third year, and drew her knees up close to her chest. "Now it's my turn... to watch you sleep." Haruhi glanced toward the water, watching Tamaki attack the twins with a new beachball (courtesy of Kyoya, no doubt) while Hani stood by and laughed and Kyoya watched from the safety of his folding chair. The sun was steadily sinking into the sea, and she turned to Mori, and smiled, settling in to watch him sleep.And her mother, watching her from heaven, noted how much Haruhi's smile resembled her own, and was glad she'd found someone who would stay awake just to watch her sleep.

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Shinkansen: bullet train. Google it! Also review. 


	6. Bothered by Dreams

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but that antique table. The Host Club owes me five hundred thousand bucks.

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Mori had been bothered all day. Of course, "bothered" was no different than "happy" or "slightly hungry" as far as anyone else could tell, but Hani could. Hani always could. Mori's moods were never known to anyone else but Hani unless they manifested themselves in, say, knocking over a table. The fact that Mori was bothered drew the attention of everyone in the Host Club when he knocked over a $500,000 antique table after Hani asked him if he'd like to join he and Usa-chan for their afternoon nap.

Kyoya went back to calculating funds, adding this latest "accident" to his list.

Tamaki and the twins' attention was ripped away from their latest bickering match, and they looked on as Haruhi approached Hani and asked, "What's wrong with Mori-sempai?"

"I think he had a bad dream last night," Hani repied quietly, and headed straight to his couch so as not to do the same. (But not before he brushed his teeth!)

Later, after studying at the library, Haruhi returned to the empty Third Music room to retrieve the book she had left and found Mori still sitting in the same chair he had placed himself in after demolishing the table.

"Mori-sempai? Are you all right? Hani-sempai said you had a bad dream last night."

"No."

"You didn't have a bad dream? Are you all right? Would you like me to get the nurse for you? I could-"

"I had a good dream."

Haruhi turned back to her sempai, who seemed to be in a mood different than she had ever seen before.

"I dreamt... that you and I were in love."

Haruhi knew that no matter what he had dreamt, he had definitely not gotten enough sleep.

"But... a dream is just a dream until you make it come true." Haruhi watched her tall sempai leave the room, then took his seat.

_Will he make it come true?_ she wondered.

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	7. Everything I Never Knew I Always Wanted

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC or its members or their love lives. Except in this story.

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As the infamous Ouran High School Host Club graduated from Ouran two by two or three, they all dispersed to their various lives, but of course kept in touch.

One problem they all ran into like a brick wall was: the ladies. Most of them did not really know how to act outside the Host Club.

The twins returned to their junior high tendency of breaking hearts times two, that is until Kaoru fell for a girl who didn't know he even had a brother. His twin was lost for a while after their wedding, but then met a rambuncious Russian girl who was as much trouble paired with Hikaru as Kaoru had been. They made such a ruckus at Haruhi's graduation party from Tokyo University that it took 4 months and a shadow-kingly mandate from Kyoya to get them to reconcile with Haruhi.

Tamaki's love life was a complete mess. It took several years for Haruhi's father to forgive Tamaki for accidentally proposing to her the evening of her high school graduation. He hadn't really meant it, he just hadn't wanted Haruhi to use the convenient excuse of "you're not my sempai anymore, Tamaki," to stop talking to him for good. Of course, there were always a myriad of ladies at his door, but he had no idea what to do with them. He could woo them with sweet words, but when it came to serious dating or marriage, Tamaki had no idea what women expected of him, and he was always so flustered and confused when he was dumped loudly.

Hani was very lucky to find his girlfriend in a rainstorm, it was his fault that the battery in his convertible died, and he accepts the blame fully and loves it. She happened by with an umbrella and took him to her apartment nearby, where she served him the most delicious cake he had ever tasted. She is the serious grounding for his shouta sparkles (less serious than Mori, of course), but can still laugh at his antics and be charmed by Usa-chan. She loves him for who he is and can bring him back to earth when he is required.

Kyoya married a girl his father chose, of course. Unfortunately for him it was not Haruhi, although she may have breathed more than one sigh of relief. She is a beautiful woman and a very courteous host, and a perfect wife for Kyoya. There is no "arranged marriage" tension between the two of them when they are in the same room, and there are not many people who see them outside of an official function. Tamaki has more than once loudly informed the Host Club in a "just between the two of us" fashion that he belives that the two are very much in love.

Mori is another story altogether. He found his special someone in high school. In the Host Club, in fact. He didn't know it for several years. His life was the same year after year, the only thing changing was the amount of time he got to spend with his cousin. He frequently missed the days at the Host Club, but was never able to pin down exactly why. The answer came finals week of Haruhi's final year of grad school, when, in the rain, at 5 AM, she informed Mori that he was everything she never knew she'd always wanted, to please respond in kind, and then wait patiently for her to finish her exams so they could be together without any hindrance. Mori agreed, finding that it had apparently been driving him as crazy as it had been driving her.

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	8. Thirty Minutes of Wonderful

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran. I do have some strawberries, though, would anyone like one?

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No one could say that Mori was not courteous to his guests. Except his guests, more often lately. Kyoya glared across the room at the Wild Type, sitting on a couch across from his Loli-Shouta surrounded by a gaggle of adoring girls waiting to be adored. Or at least acknowledged.

"Takashiiiiiii!" snapped Mori out of his trance.

"Ah."

"It's time for cake!" said the neverending pot of energy and pink flowers. "You want some cake, don't you?"

"Ah," Mori nodded.

"What kind of cake is your favorite, Mori-sama?" one of his fangirls asked.

"Takashi likes strawberries, right, Takashi?" Hani interrupted, leaping onto Mori's shoulders.

"Ah," Mori nodded. The group trundled over to the waiting cake, disassembled it piece by piece, and carried it back to their seats, and sat down to munch in relative silence.

Mori's cake sat on the coffee table next to his untouched tea cup, uneaten. Mori's eyes were across the room, on the only interesting girl in it. She laughed and talked with her designators, and from the look on his face, Kyouya almost thought Mori wished that he was one of those girls.

"Mori-sempai." The room was dark and Hani was waiting for Mori outside.

"I know, Kyoya," Mori intoned, sounding almost annoyed.

"Then what?"

"I haven't decided yet. All I know is... I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." Kyoya's smirk made an appearance.

"Well, let me know when you do decide something. I'm sure I can work it into our schedule. For now... maybe you should both cut back on your, ahem, 'nothing special.' I'd rather have ladies disappointed by not being able to spend time with you than ladies dissatisfied with spending time with you." Mori gave a respectful nod and headed toward the door. "Mori-sempai?" Mori stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "If it's you that Haruhi chooses, make sure you get more than thirty mintues of wonderful."

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	9. You Can't Stay Mad

Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC.

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The twins cackled.

Kyoya's stony demeanor cracked when Tamaki applied enough charm and loveable annoyance.

Hani glowed at the prospect of cake, and Mori smiled.

You can't stay mad at someone who makes you laugh. Haruhi frowned and tried to look invisible even though she had 3 customers swooning over her. The Host Club had split 7 ways over something completely insignificant in the pre-customer meeting, and everyone but Haruhi had reconciled with one another.

The twins had tried to lure her out of her glare with teasing, but that only made the glare more intense.

Kyoya had twitched his eyebrow at her and more than once asked if she'd like to hear how much of her debt she hadn't paid off. She responded curtly with the fact that her customers were waiting for her.

Tamaki approached and was ignored.

Hani's shota sparkles invaded, but his offers of cake and tea and Usa-chan were all coldly but politely turned down.

Customers dispersed, and Tamaki sulked in a corner, enduring ridcule from the twins. Kyoya tried to calculate what it would take to make Haruhi forgive and forget, and Hani gave up and went back to his cakes.

You can't stay mad at someone who makes you laugh, and so Mori took one for the team and made a face at her.


	10. Thoughts from the Throne

** Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran.

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I really have worked hard. It may not look like it, but I have. I may not be the power behind the throne, but being the one on the throne should count for at least something. I enjoy what I do, and I can't think of any other way I'd like to spend my time than to be surrounded by gorgeous women who adore me. Except- I'd like to have what they have.

At one point in time I thought I was in love with her, but it took me so long to actually figure it out that I'd missed my chance. Everyone tells me that even though I am the one all the girls want, that I'm also the densest guy in the world. Kyoya once remarked that "perhaps the girls wouldn't want you if they knew you were such an idiot." Maybe I'm unconsciously protecting myself, since, after all, she did end up breaking my heart in the end. But at least it wasn't on purpose.

I realized it the first day he took her hand, thinking there was no one else in the room, and kissed her. They knew I was there right away, and to make it more embarrassing for all parties involved, the twins burst in before they could step away from each other. They looked so apologetic about it. Hani was ready to defend them to the death, he even dropped Usa-chan and adopted a karate stance. Kaoru accepted it right away and wished them the best. Hikaru sulked for several days, then decided that he'd rather be friends with Haruhi than nothing, and congratulated them. Kyoya told them rather pointedly that he was glad they were "caught" by us rather than by any fangirls, as he hadn't yet planned for their pairing up.

I leapt on him. I couldn't stop myself. "HOW DARE YOU!" I shouted, shaking him. "MY ONLY DAUGHTER! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TAKE HER AWAY WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM HER BELOVED FATHER!"

Mori only blinked at me. "Tamaki," he said in his usual docile way, his eyes telling me he understood.

"Tamaki-sempai!" Haruhi pulled me off of her boyfriend. She turned me around and looked into my tear filled eyes. "This is what _I_ want," she told me, a stubborn look on her face. I could only smile and nod, blinking the tears away.

I gave them my blessing, even though it hurt me terribly. What else is a devoted father to do when his precious daughter is so straightforward? Kyoya has since admonished me to "drop the defense mechanism," since "everyone can see through you anyway."

So we've all gone back to our regular routine, except for those days when I can't seem to stay out of my sulking corner. And then, I look at them, with the love shining in their eyes, their secret smiles to one another across the room, and pathetically, it makes my entire day; it leaves me longing to find someone to love me as much as the two of them love each other.

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	11. Because I Need You

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ouran, but I do own Mori's adorable awkwardness.

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She was speechless. Every day. The looks he gave her, the touches that lingered on her skin, the kisses that she wished would never end.

She never expected that the drama that was her days in high school would end like this. She hadn't wanted to get married so soon, she hadn't thought she'd have time for a husband, much less a boyfriend. The day he had said those words to her, her life changed completely, and left her without words to express how happy she would be for the rest of her life

"I need you."

"I'm sorry, what did you say, sempai?"

"I mean, I love you," the tall third year mumblingly confessed.

"Sempai, I'm sorry," Haruhi looked annoyed. She pulled Mori to a quieter, less twins-infested side of the room. "What did you say?"

"I mean, I don't love you because I need you; I need you because I love you." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and informed her again that he loved her before going to rejoin his cousin.

Haruhi now happily tells everyone the story of how after that day, things were never the same again.

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	12. Common Sense Vs Faith

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC or their shoes.

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There was a note on her shoes. There was always a note on her shoes. Usually it was pink and/or sparkly, and often so perfumed that her shoes would never smell like her feet again, but this note was normal, everyday notebook paper. 

Haruhi,  
I love you.  
-Mori

Common sense told her that it was a joke by the twins, but then doubled back and reasoned that if it had been the twins, they probably would have planned something more elaborate, and written a longer note.

Common sense told her that it was maybe a test by Kyoya or Tamaki to see if there was anyone she was interested in.

Common sense told her that it was just a wild fantasy by a crazed fangirl with a Host Club OTP.

Faith helped her walk into the Host Club and tell him that she felt the same.

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I need some help... I have always hated the title of this collection to death... if you review, could you offer a suggestion for a new title? It would really help me out a lot, I really hate this title...  



	13. The Worst Thing in Life

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran, or I would be able to imagine what their graduation robes look like. Are those guys _ever_ going to graduate?

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"What?" Fujioka Haruhi stood in the hallway at Ouran Private High School, facing her soon-to-be former sempai, Morinozuka Takashi.

"I don't want to graduate," he said, although his attire said the opposite.

"But it's just about time for the ceremony, why..."

"I want to thank you for making my last year my best at Ouran," he interrupted. She laughed, the laugh that drove him crazy wanting to kiss her every time she did it.

"You're not making any sense, Mori-sempai," she laughed.

"I... I don't want to leave, because I won't be able to see you every day any more and I," Mori looked down at his feet.

At that moment there was a strange noise from the end of the hallway that sounded exactly like an irate and hopeful five foot nothing blonde third year student supressing two extremely interested and troublesome twin redheaded first years. It distracted Haruhi, but not Mori, who continued with his confession.

"I think the worst thing about life would be having to go through it without you, Haruhi," he looked into her surprised eyes and did not wait for her response as he tilted her chin up, wrapped an arm around her waist, and placed his lips on hers. There was a squealing from the end of the hallway, but the kiss was quickly over and Mori turned away from the blushing object of his affections. As he walked off down the hall, all he left her with was "see you after the ceremony."

""What was she more surprised with?"" wondered the twins in unison.

"The confession?" asked Hikaru, echoed by Kaoru:

"Or his lengthy speech?"

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	14. What You Meant to Do

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ouran nor any cosplay outfits. If you'd like to make me one, though, let me know. :)

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Haruhi was sorry when she stumbled in the Third Music room and knocked over a practically priceless vase, an action which bound her to the Host Club for the rest of her high school days.

She was sorry that she hadn't corrected the other club members' mistake when they took her for a boy, as this inaction caused Tamaki and the twins to gush over her three times as much as they would have if she had corrected them.

She was not sorry she joined the Host Club, even though falling in love with their stoic Wild Type was something she hadn't meant to do.

One particular day, he was helping her pull down a box of costumes for the daily cosplay when she slipped from the step stool and fell into his arms, her lips accidentally colliding with his.

"I'm sorry, Sempai," she said, a blush spreading across her face.

He was completely silent for a moment or two, then admonished her: "never say sorry for what you meant to do," and proceeded to show her what he meant.

The only official records Ouran High School Host Club has of this encounter is the following, entered in Kyoya's notes for the day:

_Morinozuka Takashi and Fujioka Haruhi: Absent_


	15. Wait Forever

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran nor Hachiko, but I hope one day to go there.

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Morinozuka Takashi was sitting on a bench at Hachiko. He had been sitting there for what seemed like forever. People came and went, mothers with their children, high school students, and the occasional couple. Mori let them all pass by. He waited.

He had been waiting his whole life. He thought fondly of his days in high school, and of the Host Club, and of the girl who had mixed it all up.

He thought about her hair, her eyes, and the way she laughed at the antics of the Host Club members. He had recently realized he had been waiting for all of his life.

_Some things are worth waiting for,_ he thought, _even if you have to wait forever._

She walked out of Hachiko-guchi, spotted him, and waved. "Mori-sempai!"

Morinozuka Takashi's waiting was over.

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Hachiko/Hachiko-guchi: a popular meeting place in front of the busiest train station in Tokyo. Again, I point you to my bff Google.

Ultra secret P.S.: Look for this scene soon in The Train.


	16. No Words Needed

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran, and therefore this pairing is not canon. Which is too bad, now that I think about it. I'll look into that.

* * *

"Haruhi."

"Mori-sempai? Is there something you wanted?" She had been slinking off to the library for the day, hoping to avoid the clutching twins and get a quiet place to study for the test she had to take at the end of the week.

He nodded. His smile had been mysterious as always, but filled with something... different.

After the first few moments of silence, she began to wonder if he'd really wanted something, or was just amusing himself by saying her name.

"Did you... want to tell me what it was?"

The next few moments of silence got a little awkward for Haruhi, as her sempai just stood there, smiling his completely out of character smile.

"I've got some studying to do, Mori-sempai, so if you want to tell me whatever it is you have to say later, then please come and find me in the library."

And then he kissed her.

For some things in life, there are no words.


	17. Marry Me, Haruhi!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC, and I would not like to see how much Tamaki spent on his graduation party.

* * *

Haruhi was crying. She had not been crying when she slapped Tamaki, but now she was. Kyoya skillfully applied his charm to the startled guests, fixing the tense room with a toast to the future of the graduates. The twins escorted their "dono" into a nearby room, and held him down while he tried to escape to apologize to Haruhi. Hani soothed Ranka's anger with his sparkles, and Mori went to sit next to Haruhi.

"How could he!" she sobbed into Mori's shoulder. "I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life, and I was in the Host Club!"

Mori put his hand on her head.

"In front of everyone! In front of my father! In front of his father! In front of his grandmother!"

Mori shook his head.

"I know he didn't mean it, and that makes it all the more embarrassing. He's such an idiot," she heaved a huge sigh and snuggled into Mori's shoulder.

Mori smiled.

"All I want is for someone to hold me and tell me that everything is going to be okay," Haruhi confessed quietly.

And so Mori did.


	18. Everything

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC, but I would love to be the reason Mori is distracted.

* * *

"You have been rather distracted of late, Mori-sama," Mori's best customer commented, while trying to ignore Hani's distractions.

"Ah." Mori nodded.

"Could you tell me why that could be?"

Mori shook his head and gazed off across the room.

"Are you well?"

Mori nodded.

"Are you worried about your grades?"

Mori shook his head.

"Is your family in good health?"

Mori nodded.

"And your family's business is doing well, yes?"

Mori nodded.

"Are you..." the girl looked down into the depths of her teacup, and then whispered what she most feared. "Are you in love?"

Mori turned and looked into her eyes and she knew what she feared was true.

Before her first tear fell, she asked bitterly, "Well what do you see in her anyway?"

Mori's eyes went to the one he loved, serving her customers across the room, and his only answer was: "Everything."


	19. Run Away to See Who Will Follow

Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC.

* * *

"What was that?"

"You heard me." The cosplay outfit was thrown to the ground. "I quit. I don't care how much my debt is. I'll pay it back a different way. I can't take any more of this."

The door to the Third Music Room slammed behind her.

Renge had to be the one most disappointed. She felt, in her soul, that she had to fulfill her role as the otaku character, and because of this she couldn't be with Haruhi. She told them all that this broke her heart. They paid little attention to her.

It was different seeing Haruhi around school in the yellow dress with the puffed sleeves- it looked so good on her, Tamaki cried. Then Kyoya reminded him that she may have been wearing the dress, but she wouldn't be doing so anywhere near him, since she was no longer in the club. This made Tamaki cry harder.

The twins still pestered her (this also made Tamaki cry), but she ignored them completely. Their homeroom came to a halt at one point, they were shouting at her from their desks to her right and left side, and the teacher wanted to know if there was something wrong with her.

It did shock them, that she really did mean what she said that day she stormed out of the club. Just the fact that she announced her gender loudly to Renge the next day was enough to convince them all she was serious (and not just "into cross dressing" as Renge hoped).

Kyoya took it in stride; her exit had caused enough ruckus among the ladies who attended the club that he was satisfied. At any rate, the girls did not stop showing up. They only speculated on why Haruhi would leave: perhaps she was in love with one of the members and couldn't stand to be near them without being with them any longer; perhaps she was in love with one of the customers but could not bear to break the young lady's heart by revealing her love, instead revealed her secret, and was now living with a broken heart herself; perhaps she was just tired of pretending.

Mitsukuni was perhaps the only one who dealt with the loss of his friend in a healthy way. He told his customers he was sad and was comforted by them and of course by cake.

Haruhi turned at the first firm hand on her arm. "May I help you, Sempai?" He wasn't letting go. "What do you want? Are you here to drag me back to the club?" Their gazes locked; they communicated with their eyes for a moment, and then Haruhi looked away.

He understood. He had from the moment that door had slammed, blocking them from getting to her. She hadn't wanted to leave, but she didn't want to go back. Her arm slipped from his grasp and she slid down onto the floor, her books scattering.

"I was so sick of it all," she confessed quietly. "Life isn't some romantic comedy."

He squatted down next to her and ran his fingers along her jaw line. She blinked her tears away and he brushed them off of her cheeks.

"I know," he said quietly, helping her stand, picking up her books. "Sometimes, you have to run away to see who will follow."


	20. Goodbyes

Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC, but I do have a graduation robe left over from high school. Anybody wanna buy it off me?

* * *

"Goodbyes make you realize what you've gained, what you've felt, and what you've taken for granted," Haninozuka Mitsukuni informed his fellow graduates as he stood in his valedictorian robe. The fact that he was standing on a stool to reach the podium was not forgotten by the crowd, but his unusually stoic words helped them to ignore it.

One particular first year near the back of the room tried to think what she'd gained, felt, and taken for granted, and could think of only one person to describe all of those. She had already decided to tell him, and had only to plot how; she was, however, being distracted by the two redheads sitting on either side of her.

As the graduation ceremony came to a close, the exultant son of the school chairman came to congratulate her on becoming a second year. The devil and angel on her shoulders intercepted him, asking if he was going to stay back a year so that he could graduate with Haruhi, and sending him off to sulk in a corner when they reminded him that they would be graduating with her by virtue of their year of birth. This gave her an opportunity to slip away and find the person she was looking for.

He was standing in the Third Music Room gazing out a window, graduation robe slung over his arm.

"How did you like Mitsukuni's speech?" he asked quietly as she approached him.

"I liked it," she admitted. "It was some very good food for thought."

"Oh?"

"He made me think about what I've gained, what I've… felt… and what I've taken for granted."

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and turned a little, body language that she translated as inviting her to continue.

"I've gained a lot of things this year," she began, "lots of friends, more knowledge that will help me in my goals, and experience in the world of the wealthy."

He nodded.

"I've taken all of this for granted, unfortunately," she said with a little laugh. "You and Hani-sempai will be gone next year, and I won't get to enjoy your company nearly as much as before."

He gazed at her, his eyebrow raised.

"And as for how I've felt, well…" she took a few steps closer to the window and sat down on the window seat. "I've felt that I love you, Mori-sempai."

To her surprise he knelt down and brushed her cheek with his hand. "This goodbye made me realize that too," he said.

As the last light of the sun filtered into Ouran High School's Third Music Room, Morinozuka Takashi and Fujioka Haruhi were thankful for their goodbye; it had led to the beginning of something wonderful.


	21. The Bonding Weekend

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC, but I would not pass up an opportunity to go with them for a bonding weekend.

* * *

Tamaki had insisted on a "bonding weekend," which Kyoya heard as "let's spend a lot of money!"

Haruhi begged to be absent, but the twins draped themselves over her and told her that she had to be there to _bond_ with them, and were subsequently chased across the room by Tamaki.

"Don't you want to spend time with us, Haru-chan?" Hani asked as he hugged Usa-chan, backed up by Mori.

"I…" Haruhi wondered if Hani phrased things purposely in order that no one would ever say no to him. She sighed. "I'll be there."

Tamaki stopped chasing the twins in order to gush over her acquiescence and tell her that he would spend every moment of the weekend with her in order to have the proper commoner's bonding experience.

"That will be unnecessary, Sempai," she informed him, and escaped before he could start swinging her around in circles.

Twenty nine hours later, they were sitting on a beach around a blazing bonfire. They had already experienced roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire, and Tamaki had branded the outing a success. Haruhi felt that it was more of an "insult Haruhi's commoner lifestyle" party than a bonding experience, but she was the only one who felt that way.

Kyoya rejected the idea of playing "Truth or Dare" and the twins had nixed Tamaki's suggestions of singing _Kum-ba-yah_.

"We have to bond somehow!" Tamaki insisted, consulting a badly written teen novel. "It says here that we should bare our souls to one another! Share our dreams!"

""We want to be world famous fashion designers!"" the twins said in unison, apparently finally approving of a suggestion of Tamaki's.

"I want to eat cake with Usa-chan!" Hani declared, shoving a confection into his mouth.

"My dream is to take over the company my father has built," Kyoya admitted, smirking as the firelight reflected off of his glasses. "Whether I inherit it or not."

"I have so many dreams!" Tamaki insisted with a flourish. "There are so many things to which I could apply my talents and succeed! But I think…" at this he calmed down a bit, "I'd like to see my mother again, someday."

Haruhi smiled softly. It was the first time that evening that she really felt like they were bonding. She decided that since they were being honest, she wouldn't hold back.

"My dream is to graduate with honors from Ouran Academy. Then I want to become a lawyer and help people, just like my mother. And if somewhere along the way I find someone to share my life with, that wouldn't be so bad." She smiled at them, expecting to be glomped or fussed over by the twins. Tamaki and the redheaded pair did squeal a little over how cute she was, but their usual antics were absent.

Instead, they all turned expectantly to the last member of their little circle. He smiled, but didn't say anything, and a few moments later got up and strolled off down the beach.

"Mori-sempai!" Tamaki protested.

"Takashi needs to think," Hani explained, shoveling in more cake.

Haruhi did not see Mori again until sunrise the next morning, which she had gotten up to witness on the advice of Kyoya, who had told her it was quite breathtaking, "if you bother to get up early enough for it."

She was enjoying the gorgeous scenery and a few moments of solitude when he joined her.

"Good morning, Mori-sempai," she said. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded, smiling. The two stood in silence for a moment until Mori cleared his throat.

"I never knew I had a dream," he confessed, turning to her. "Until that dream was you."

""Did Mori-sempai tell you his dream?"" the twins asked her later as they all piled into limos to go home.

Haruhi blushed and nodded, putting a hand to her lips. "It's a secret."

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to Morgaine Avenel, who has finally helped me to admit that I'm one of those terrible people who scrambles to update when reminded that her readers like her fics. I'm sorry I'm one of those people but... ahem... _please review._


	22. Wish Upon a Star

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran, nor have any of the wishes I have made to own it come true. So don't sue. :)

* * *

Haruhi had never believed in wishes, whether they involved stars or not. So when she ran into one of her old friends from elementary school, she was surprised to learn not only that she had made a wish, but also that it had come true.

"I'm going to make a wish, Haru-chan!" Six year old Keiko had announced, pointing out of her bedroom window at the brightest star she could find. "I'm going to wish that I find the perfect man to love and take care of me someday!"

Haruhi's silence was disagreement enough for her friend, even though she tried to cover it up by leafing through one of Keiko's picture books.

"Come on, Haru-chan!" Keiko urged, hauling Haruhi up on the bed beside her. "You wish too!"

"Why?"

"Because! Don't you know, Haru-chan? People wish on stars because one day, they hope that those wishes will come true!"

Six year old Haruhi considered this, then turned back to the picture book.

"You wish too!" Keiko insisted, prying the distracting literature away from Haruhi.

She sighed. "I wish that someday I'll find the perfect man to love and take care of me," she mumbled, and returned to the bookshelf when she was sure Keiko was satisfied.

Seeing her in the marketplace was a surprise, but the fact that she had a chattering toddler on her hip was not.

"I got my wish," Keiko informed Haruhi, who stopped listening momentarily in order to recall the scene. "Well, he might not take care of me completely, since I still have a job, even with the baby, but… How about you?"

"Haruhi?" he called, striding up.

"Ah, Keiko, this is my husband Takashi."

"Nice to meet you!" Keiko exclaimed, looking thrilled. "Aren't you glad you made that wish?" she asked Haruhi.

Haruhi smiled. She wasn't sure if it was destiny or wishes on stars that brought them together, but either way, she was glad.

"Yes."

* * *

This fluff dedicated to Midnight-kun. :)


	23. Weird

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC.

* * *

Height: Six foot five.  
Height: Five foot nothing.

Income: average.  
Income: so high you'd regret asking.

Favorite sport: kendo.  
Favorite sport: studying.

Most time consuming high school extracurricular activity: Host Club.

Haruhi reflects on these statistics occasionally, peering out of the corner of her eye at her unlikely boyfriend. When in this particular mood, she often remarks, "We're so weird!" To which he smiles and replies:

"That's what I like about us, actually."

* * *

This small moment dedicated to Kitty.


	24. Strength and Courage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC, but I do deeply love this pairing.

* * *

Being deeply loved gives you strength; deeply loving someone gives you courage.

Mori was deeply loved. His cousin Mitsukuni encouraged him in everything he did, and there was an unspoken bond of love between them.

Mori was deeply loved. There were a myriad of fangirls who would have been happy to die for him, although he would never want them to.

Mori was deeply loved. One girl in particular loved him deeply but did not want to tell him for fear of the ripples it would cause in the club. It would be impossible to keep quiet, seeing as she herself wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

Tamaki, she knew, would attack him.

The twins would protest that he was taking their toy away.

Kyoya would complain of lost profits.

Hani, she knew, would support them.

She thought it better to wait until the summer holiday, at least, so that they would have some time to themselves; or if she was rejected, she would have time to recover before having to face him again.

Resolves were steeled the day before summer vacation began, and love confessions were blurted out in unison. A smile and a kiss were shared.

The rest of the club, from their spying spot, made enough noise to give away their position, but the heady couple was too distracted to notice.

* * *

This installment dedicated in thanks to E-Fae17-chan, who's been reading and commenting almost as long as I've been writing! Thanks E-chan!


	25. Fear

**Disclaimer:** I do not own OHSHC. I would not be afraid to, however.

* * *

Morinozuka Takashi and Fujioka Haruhi sat on an expensive couch in the Third Music Room of Ouran High School. They faced their fellow club members on an equally pricey couch opposite them (well, really, everyone but Kyoya who was typing rapidly at his laptop nearby).

The room had been totally silent for the past ten minutes save for the sound of keystrokes, and Haruhi was nearing her limit.

"Really, Sempai—" she began to protest.

"Are you ready to confess?" Tamaki thundered as only Tamaki can.

""Dono…"" the twins intoned in unison from either side of their king. "I don't think," started Kaoru,

"That she knows what she needs to confess," Hikaru finished.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. This had to be one of the more outlandish things they'd done recently. The twins were right; she had no idea what sort of infraction she had committed this time, nor was she convinced it was any kind of real problem, since her bespectacled sempai had not informed her of any increase in her debt. She could only really think of one thing… _but they wouldn't know about that, would they?_

"Takashi…" Hani muttered darkly from behind the shield of the cheerful Usa-chan.

Haruhi glanced at the stoic senior next to her and noticed a shift in his demeanor; it almost seemed to her that he blushed.

"You're not going to get it out of them that way, Tamaki," Kyoya's voice came, floating in from wherever he was working.

"It's no use," Hikaru sighed as Tamaki stood up and waltzed to a position behind the couch.

"It's not a confession if we have to tell them what to confess," Kaoru pointed out.

"In that case," Tamaki began, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "You can consider this an intervention!" he declared, pointing at the bewildered pair across the coffee table.

"I don't understand, Sempai," Haruhi said after a moment. "What are Mori-sempai and I so guilty of that all of you have to intervene?"

The look on Tamaki's face surprised her. It was so… fatherly. The word he said next surprised her even more.

"Fear," he said, and Hani-sempai nodded.

"I've never known you to be scared of anything, Takashi," he admonished.

""It's not as if we haven't noticed,"" the twins chimed, looking bored.

Haruhi looked to Mori-sempai for help. She had no idea what these rich bastards were on about. He was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, but looked away when they made eye contact.

"You look at him twice as much as you look at the rest of us put together," a twin whispered in her ear, and she jumped at their close proximity.

"What are you being so cowardly for?" the other whispered from the other side.

"Takashi, why are you so afraid?" Hani-sempai wanted to know.

The twins pushed Haruhi toward Mori-sempai. She looked up at him, terrified and embarrassed that the entire Host Club knew the secret she thought she had so carefully guarded.

Her heart leaped when Mori-sempai reached out and took her hand in his. Could her secret wish be true?

"To fear love is to fear life," Tamaki pronounced. "And when your love is so obvious to all of us, you have nothing to fear."

Tamaki's unspoken command to embrace life compelled Morinozuka Takashi to pull Fujioka Haruhi into his arms.

In the world outside the new couple, Tamaki was crying. Kyoya snapped his laptop shut and strode up next to his best friend.

"Are you happy now?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

Tamaki sobbed while nodding and theatrically blowing his nose into an unnecessarily large handkerchief.

"Fathers are always happy when their daughters find their own happiness!"

The twins groaned at their "dono" and Hani-sempai smiled at Takashi and Haruhi. Suddenly Tamaki gasped.

"Now we have to plan the wedding!"

""We get to design the dress!""

"Usa-chan and I will pick out the cake, right?"

Kyoya sighed and went back to his work with the feeling that this would end up costing him much more than he wanted it to.


	26. The Wedding Finale Conundrum

Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC, nor do I know how to waltz. I'll have to ask Tamaki for lessons.

* * *

Haruhi had always wondered why a bride and groom exchanged a kiss at the conclusion of a wedding ceremony. Was it because they couldn't wait to consummate? Was it because the well wishers wanted to make sure they did? The proximity of one person's lips to another's didn't matter to her legal mind, and she didn't feel that a little peck was in any way binding.

Kyoya nudged her and she realized that this was an inappropriate line of thinking in her current situation, in the first row of seats at Kaoru's wedding, seconds away from the fated kiss.

She glanced up and down the row: Tamaki-sempai with his "date," Kyoya-sempai, herself, Mori-sempai, and Hani-sempai with his girlfriend. She wondered what the others would think of her ponderings, but she was sure she'd get a chance to share during the reception.

Tamaki was too busy dancing with Kaoru's new wife and his own date to have any moment to talk to her aside from the time that he swept her up in a waltz. "Because they love each other, and they want to show everyone else that they do!" was his matter of fact answer as he dipped her unnecessarily.

"But isn't that what the wedding itself is for?" she asked, but her question went unanswered as Hikaru cut in.

"You could find out if you'd only marry me, Haruhi," Hikaru responded when she presented him with the problem. She sighed her frustration at the less than helpful answer as she was spun around into Kyoya's arms, which immediately guided her off the dance floor, much to her relief.

"Is this what you were thinking about all through the ceremony?" was Kyoya's response. "How ridiculous. It's just like a handshake in a business arrangement. You know how things are; everyone needs to 'seal the deal,' as it were."

"Uh-huh," Haruhi intoned, still unsatisfied with the conclusion.

"The kiss is the sweetest part!" Hani informed her while she helped him carry seven pieces of cake back to his table. "It's like the cake at the end of the reception!"

"Did you bring a piece for me?" Hani's girlfriend asked hopefully.

"Uhh…" the blonde pondered the table full of sweets. "You can have this one!" he declared, holding up the smallest corner piece.

"Oh, thank you, Mitsu-kun!" she gushed, accepting the small sacrifice. "You remembered how much I like the icing!"

Haruhi shook her head at the strange couple as she walked away. She nursed a glass of punch and gazed at the head table, where she had considered going to ask the groom his opinion, but thought better of it since he was engaged in kissing his wife. She felt someone standing behind her.

"Why does every wedding have a kiss at the end, Takashi?" she asked without needing to make sure it was him.

It was a few moments before he answered. "Because there isn't anything left to say. A kiss is one of those tricks designed by nature for when words become unnecessary."

She frowned and looked up at him, confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

When he kissed her, she found she understood.

* * *

This beginning of the end is dedicated to leafiephoenix who knows the best way to compliment! Go check out her Mori/Haruhi fic!


	27. I Want to Deserve You

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I am free next Tuesday if anyone wants to have lunch!

* * *

Fujioka Haruhi had graduated with honors from Tokyo University and was attending law school with the intention of becoming the best lawyer in Japan. Her grades were at the top of her class, and she was working hard.

Morinozuka Takashi was working hard, too. He was halfway to his doctorate, was already working for the government's geography department, and barely had a break to see even his cousin.

They saw each other every six months at the insistence of Tamaki (Kyoya, really). Each time, Haruhi tried to make plans to spend time with each of them separately when they had free time.

She finished planning an outing with the twins, and spied Mori-senpai standing by the door nursing a glass of wine and checking his watch every thirty seconds.

"Mori-senpai?" she said, wandering up to him with her open planner. "Do you have any time in the next couple of weeks to get together and have lunch or something?" She leafed through her planner to avoid looking at him, since he'd turned her down the last three times they'd met.

"Next Tuesday," he commented, looking at his watch.

"Next Tuesday works for me!" she said brightly, marking it down. "Should I meet you at 11:00?"

"Ah," he nodded. "Excuse me, Haruhi, I have to get back to work."

"Oh," she said, relieving him of his wine glass. "That's too bad, but at least I'll see you next Tuesday!"

Mori walked out of the restaurant after waving goodbye to his cousin. As he walked to his car, he spied Haruhi trying to talk to Kyoya while Tamaki hung on her.

"It's not that I want to have you," he told her though she couldn't hear him. "I want to deserve you."

As he headed back to work, he called his secretary and told her to clear his schedule next Tuesday.


	28. The Power of Three Words

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran nor do I have the power to make any of the Host Club say those three little words to me...

* * *

No three words have a greater power than "I love you." Unfortunately, Fujioka Haruhi had not heard those three words together in all her time in junior high, hosting, or even as the brightest star in Tokyo University's law program.

That is not to say that she never received confessions. Her days were rife with them. Only that particular phrase was not.

"Daddy loves you, Haruhi!" Tamaki had declared, which made it easy for her to counter his pleas with logic.

"A father does not need to take his daughter out to lavish dinners every night of the week, Tamaki-sempai," she told him. "Nor does he want to marry her. That would be incest." Slamming the apartment door in his face punctuated her decision, although the fact that she still attached "sempai" to his name after all these years should have put him off long ago.

"I… I've always liked you, Haruhi," Hikaru had stuttered.

She smiled up at him, seemingly oblivious. "I like you too, Hikaru, we're friends, right?" She caught sight of Kaoru behind a pillar, cringing at her Kasanoda-style letdown. As Hikaru collected himself, Kaoru gave her a sad smile. _Thank you for not completely rejecting him,_ it said.

"Right, friends," Hikaru said, half sounding as though he were trying to convince himself of his own words. "And we always will be."

"Usa-chan and I love cake, and Haru-chan too!" Hani spouted excitedly in between bites of the homemade cake Haruhi had brought for his birthday. He had many others, but he saved Haruhi's cake for last so that he could enjoy it with everyone in the Host Club, the only ones to stay until the end of his party. Haruhi accepted his hug of thanks, and a hug, of course, from Usa-chan.

"A business arrangement between the two of us would be quite beneficial to both parties," Kyoya had told her. When she realized that he was proposing marriage to her, she laughed so hard that she had to curl in a ball on the floor clutching her stomach. "Or it would be if you would be a bit more mature about it," Kyoya amended.

Haruhi realized the full power of the phrase when it was said by a man she'd run into by accident and hadn't seen for several months. "Hello, Haruhi," was not how he greeted her, nor was it a "How have you been?"

"I love you," he told her, when she struggled through the rush hour crowd at the train station to say hello to him.

She found the only way to respond after all of her effort was "I… love you too."

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to Kitten Kisses, a reviewer who fulfills every writer's dream!! Thank you so much!


	29. Weathered Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, nor can I think of anything witty to add to the disclaimer.

* * *

Haruhi watched her aging father kneel down to clean the leaves and brush off of her mother's grave. She smiled as she did every year while she arranged the white lilies they would leave there and felt the too sweet to eat tea snack in her pocket that her mother used to love so well.

"I wonder how it is you got so dirty, Kotoko," her father muttered as he stood. He had taken to talking to her aloud recently, just a sentence or two, and it stabbed Haruhi's heart. She knew of his health problems, but it hurt her to think that he would soon be joining her mother there in the ground, that she would have to come to clean both their graves.

_Then again_, she thought, _Nothing is more beautiful than a love that has survived the weathered journey of life._

She considered the smile on her father's face as he gazed lovingly at the photo of his wife he always kept with him. Yes, she'd be lonely when her father was reunited with her mother.

_But at least,_ she thought as she spotted her husband approaching, holding tightly to their daughter's hand, _I won't be alone._


	30. Just a Smile

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I do like strawberries.

* * *

She wasn't happy. They had barged in, uninvited, on the one day that she wouldn't have to see them. They had disrupted her shopping plans, invaded her living room, and were currently insulting its size.

"Rich bastards," she muttered as she made tea in the kitchen.

He sat and watched her, oblivious to Tamaki and the twins' wailing, wishing that he could watch her make tea in a small apartment for the rest of his life. He didn't care if he had to give up all of his worldly comforts, his inheritance, his family; all he wanted was to be with her. He wanted to make her smile.

His best friend made a fuss about the cakes they had brought, and she came in to serve the tea, happily looking forward to sharing the sweets with them.

"Here," he said, placing his strawberries on her plate. "You like these, don't you?"

"Yeah!" she smiled happily at his small sacrifice. He would happily have given up much more to see just that look on her face.

Love is when you would willingly give up everything if it meant they would smile.

Morinozuka Takashi was in love with Fujioka Haruhi.


	31. The Star of Haruhi's Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I think I had a dream about the Host Club once.

* * *

Haruhi's hair was rumpled. The fangirls whispered about it as she walked into the school, and the twins insisted on fixing it the second they laid eyes on her.

"Doesn't your father usually bar the door if you haven't fixed your hair in the morning?" Kaoru asked, arms crossed.

"He decided it was cute," she answered with a frown.

"Why didn't you make the effort to fix it?" Hikaru echoed his brother's tone and pose, leaning against him.

"I... was distracted."

""By what?""

"A dream I had this morning," she answered, but would have none of their questioning through the day until well after the Host Club was closed.

By then, there was a contest going on to guess Haruhi's dream. Tamaki was distracted through the entirety of the club hour, trying to come up with a theory at the twins' promise of the prize for the victor: starring in Haruhi's next dream.

Finally the twins pestered her to exhaustion, and she sat down with an avid audience to explain her dream. Tamaki reveled in her blush, sure that the dream had been about him. Kyoya pushed his glasses up and pointed out that if it had, she wouldn't have been sharing it with them.

"I... I was standing in a field. All of you were there-" Here she was interrupted by the twins heckling Tamaki, and was helped in silencing them by Kyoya, "We were on opposite sides of the field, all of you were lined up in a row, and we... well, we started running toward each other, like in those movies when lovers run into each other's arms." A loud interjection by Tamaki cut her off at this point, and the twins threw pillows at him to shut him up.

"Tamaki tripped and fell." Laughter rang through the Third Music room. Even Kyoya laughed. The twins threw some more pillows at their now sulking "Lord."

"Kyoya fell in a hole," Haruhi managed to get through to her roaring crowd.

"Like, his ankle in a hole or like a pit trap?"

"I think it was a pit trap," Haruhi admitted. "Hikaru and Kaoru were running ahead of you, Sempai," she sounded apologetic but was smiling at the twins, who were loudly proclaiming their victory.

"But then Hikaru tripped," at this both of the twins gasped, "and Kaoru-"

"I wouldn't go, not without you, Hikaru!" Kaoru cried, clinging to his twin.

"Oh, Kaoru!"

Haruhi ignored the fact that there were no fangirls in the room and went on with her story. "So then it was just down to you two." She indicated the two third years. Kyoya perked up and shoved the twins, who were still clutching at each other, off to the side.

"Hani-sempai, you... kind of just wandered off. I think you said something about Usa-chan but I can't be sure."

"So... the one who was left, whose arms you jumped into... was Mori-sempai?"

Haruhi's blazing face and avoidant gaze was enough of an answer for Tamaki, and the twins were off on a tangent about Tamaki the loser, and he chased them across the room.

"Well," Kyoya said, standing and giving his glasses a shove on his nose. "All I can say is: you have to walk carefully at the beginning of love. The running across the field into your lover's arms must come later, when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip."

Hani was happily eating cake while Tamaki continued to chase the twins about and Kyoya dug around in his ever-present notebook. Haruhi cast a glance at her dream's decision, and when their eyes met it sent both of them blushing.

"By the way, Haruhi," Kyoya said, apparently finding the object of his desires, "the next time you have a dream like this, here's the number of a skilled psychiatrist."


	32. The Hour of Separation

**Disclaimer**: Ouran still does not belong to me. So you have to call any money you give me a "gift."

* * *

Kyoya couldn't believe it had been an entire year since the girl who had lost her contacts and given herself a haircut had stumbled into their Music Room and knocked over an expensive Rene vase. They had transformed her from a girl who didn't care about appearances into a boy who could make the girls swoon with the best of them. Recently, however, she had been... out of sorts.

He would never have admitted that he hadn't noticed until the Tamaki-Hikaru-Kaoru chorus line alerted him by chiming "What's wrong with Haruhi?" in three part harmony after club one day. When he looked over, she was gazing out of the window, seemingly conflicted or perhaps... daydreaming? No, not Haruhi. So he answered flippantly, "I assume that she's just got something on her mind." That seemed to placate them enough to chase after Haruhi for the source of her distraction themselves, and so Kyoya went back to his charts and statistics, but with one eye on Haruhi.

Over the following weeks, Kyoya observed Haruhi breaking more teacups and dishes than usual, serving the wrong snacks, and even forgetting her customers' names. He called Ranka, who validated his fears with claims that Haruhi stared out the living room window most nights instead of studying. What could be wrong with Haruhi? Of course he had to confront her, and the only question remaining was when, where, and more importantly, how.

He tried to speak to her after club. Unfortunately, The Chorus Line was still present and he decided that if Haruhi's distracted state were brought up, they would latch onto the subject and run wild with it. He tried to speak to her before club, but she rushed past him in the hallway, seeming intent on reaching the door to the Third Music Room as quickly as possible. When she flung the door open and found only the trio of troublemakers, she looked somewhat disappointed.

As Kyoya stood outside her apartment, he tried to put together the facts for the millionth time. Haruhi was disinterested in her friends, in hosting (not much of a surprise), and even in studying. She seemed to still want to participate in the Club, but she did not seem to want to be there once she arrived.

"Kyoya-sempai," Haruhi stated as she opened the door, as if she'd been waiting all morning for his arrival. She didn't offer any slippers or tea or any normal niceties that one would expect to be offered on entering a kohai's place of residence. She plodded into the living room and plopped down at the table, placed her elbow on the windowsill, and sighed at the sight of her neighborhood. As he observed her from the doorway, he tried to place exactly when this eccentric behavior had begun. It wasn't when she found out that he sold her favorite pen last year. It wasn't when the twins had forced her to dress up as a bunny last semester. She never seemed to be annoyed for too long at anything Tamaki did since his actions were so similar to her father's...

Kyoya smirked as he realized when Haruhi had begun to act this way. "Excuse me, I need to make a phone call," he said politely, then stepped back outside the apartment.

Thirty minutes later a limo arrived outside, and two college students knocked on the door to the apartment. By the light of Haruhi's glowing face, he negotiated with the shorter of the two for the promise of their biweekly Club attendance for some cakes, homemade by Haruhi.

After a nice visit, the Morinozuka and Haninozuka heirs departed, leaving Haruhi picking up tea cups and wiping up cake crumbs. Kyoya packed away his laptop and smiled at the sight of her still beaming in the kitchen. They say that love knows not its depths until the hour of separation, but Kyoya had never seen a clichéd phrase being lived so literally.

"Haruhi," Kyoya said as he slipped on his shoes to leave, "next time you see Mori-sempai, I expect you to confess to him." And in response to her surprised expression and gaping mouth, he added, "No excuses."

* * *

Here are my excuses: Life, etc, computers dying, etc.

Here are my assurances: I **will** finish posting all 50 of these. I have at least 5 more that are finished, but I'm posting them in order, so you'll just have to wait until I finish the ones before those that are ready. Someday all 50 will be up and everyone who has this on their 'update me' list will be like "Ouran? Who even cares about that anymore?" And to that I will reply: "Well, nobody, but look! I finished what I started!" Feel free to throw cheese and slightly rotting vegetables at me. No death threats, though. ...although I haven't gotten one for this story yet.


	33. All That Matters

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran, but I do own various and sundry digital alarm clocks, which I don't use, because my cell phone has an alarm clock function on it.

* * *

Haruhi yawned and rolled over. It had been a while since she'd been able to wake at her own leisure. Her eyes snapped open. Monday morning was no time for leisure. She flailed wildly for her glasses and glared into her blinking alarm clock, which reported the time at 5:45. Checking her cell phone, she found her treacherous alarm clock to be off by 4 hours, which meant that not only had she missed her first two classes, but by now the professor of her third class would be counting her absent.

She sighed and flopped back into her pillow. Despite the fact that she hated to miss classes, there was nothing she could do about it now. She reached for the school book she'd fallen asleep reading, hoping to get some extra studying in before she got up to make some lunch, when her sleeping husband suddenly twitched, gasped, and cried out in fear.

"Takashi!" she called, and grabbed his shoulder.

His eyes snapped open and he crushed her to his chest.

"Haruhi?" he nearly yelled.

"Ugh," she complained. "Are you okay?"

"They... they were trying to take you away from me!"

She relaxed a little in his arms, and he responded by squeezing her a little less tightly, letting her get some air in her lungs. "It was just a dream," she said soothingly.

He turned the protective grasp into a snuggle and said sleepily, "Right now, I can't remember yesterday, and I don't care about tomorrow. This moment is all that matters."

Haruhi smiled and glanced at her clock, which was now blinking 5:46.

"I feel the same way."


	34. It's Everything

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I have had starry-eyed friends like this. My advice is to whack them upside the head.

* * *

She had five major cases to prepare, her secretary was on vacation, she was starving, and there was a Hitachiin in her office. And he was _whining_.

"But I really think I love her!"

Haruhi looked at her friend incredulously. It wasn't that she was surprised at him for confessing his love; on the contrary, this was the fourth time he had been in her office for this very reason in the last two months, each for a different girl. (He always came when she was busiest, too, making her think it was all a belated Host Club ploy to ruin her life.)

"I don't have time for this," she stated, gathering up her things.

"But Haruhiiiii, you have to tell me what to do!"

She wasn't sure what he expected her to say, other than what she'd said every other time they'd been in this situation.

She opened her mouth to just tell him off when the intercom on her phone beeped. The voice of the less-than-stellar temp replacement secretary came through: "Fujioka-senpai, your fiance is on the phone for you."

Casting a glance at the twin, Haruhi picked up her phone and confirmed her lunch date. Then she flopped down in her chair.

"Look," she said, sighing. "When you love someone, it's... something. When someone loves you, it's another thing." She stood up and straightened the papers she needed for her next meeting with a client. "But when you love the person who loves you back, it's _everything_."

A moment of silence accompanied the stars dancing in the eyes of the redhead, which Haruhi put a stop to by announcing, "Now get out of my office."


	35. Of Love and Risk

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Ouran. _And_ I would never take an unpaid internship.

* * *

The Club had never seen Haruhi so annoyed. They were having lunch together on Friday night like they always did, and discussed amongst themselves when she went to the restroom that she should have been happier than she seemed to be at the end of her first week interning at a law firm.

"Maybe she's regretting her decision to take an_ unpaid_ internship," Kyoya suggested.

"What if they're not giving her a snack break?" Hani wondered.

"You don't think she's fallen for one of the partners, do you?" Tamaki gasped.

"I hope she's not regretting her decision to become a lawyer after just one week," Kaoru said quietly, as Haruhi returned.

"Haruhi," Hikaru began, deciding to take one for the team. "Is something... bothering you?"

"Why do you ask?" she said savagely, viciously stabbing a wedge of potato with her fork and shoving it into her mouth. The twins and Tamaki cringed.

"Are they being mean to you, Haru-chan?" Hani asked her with tears in his eyes.

"What?" she asked, turning her attention to her grilled salmon.

"We were just observing that your current attitude is very unattractive," Kyoya pointed out.

"We're not in Club anymore, Kyoya-sempai," she complained.

"What's wrong, my daughter? Why are you so angry?"

Haruhi slammed her fork down. "It's this divorce case I've been assisting on! These people have been married for barely three years. The wife is sick of fighting. The husband doesn't want to risk his business interests overseas in the divorce, and it's just ridiculous! These people could easily work through their differences if they could calm down for a moment and see how much they really do care about each other!"

"Should you really be discussing a confidential case-" Kaoru began.

"It's stupid!" Haruhi interrupted. "Love is, in fact, everything it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, and risking everything for!" She fell silent and crossed her arms. The Club watched her, convinced she was about to favor them with another round of shouting.

Tamaki flinched when she stood up.

"But the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more."

Mori, sitting across the table from her, had not yet commented on the subject or even looked at Haruhi during her tirade.

She, however, glared directly at him. "So?"

After a very tense couple of seconds, he glanced up at her with a very small smile.

"I love you too, Haruhi."

The twins immediately got to work on the wedding dress, Tamaki on the ceremony, and Hani on the cake. Kyoya, for everyone's sanity, called in a favor to get Haruhi transferred off the divorce case.


	36. Dance Like Nobody's Watching

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or period of history known as the French Revolution.

* * *

Hani was finished changing into his French Revolution costume. The powdered wig was giving him some trouble, so he left the dressing room in search of Takashi. He spotted his friend just as he'd opened his mouth to call for him. He was as dressed as Hani himself, sans wig, and he was standing silently, looking at something. Hani followed his line of sight and was momentarily breathless.

She was practicing her dance steps in front of an expensive full length mirror. Her ankle was visible where she'd pulled the dress up in order to see her feet, which were covered with dainty shoes. Even though she was frowning and muttering to herself, she was a vision of loveliness.

The only reason Tamaki had been able to talk her into wearing such a thing was because Hikaru had promised to wear one as well, so they could teach their customers the steps to a dance from the appropriate time period. The other hosts were dressed as Lords, and would dance with their customers. Besides, the ladies loved to see the hosts in drag, even though Hikaru was over the top every time.

Hani had finally made up his mind to disturb his friend in the hopes of gaining his help with the troublesome wig when Takashi stepped forward into the mirror's reflection. It took Haruhi a moment to notice him there, but when she did, she jumped.

"Oh, Mori-sempai..." she began, "I didn't see you. I was just making sure I was fit to teach the customers before I joined the others. Are we ready to start?"

In response, Takashi held out his hand to her.

"Thank you," she said, putting her hand in his. "I'm glad you agree that it's really easier to practice when you can see your partner's steps as well."

They began to dance.

At first, Haruhi looked at her own feet and paid a great amount of attention to Takashi's, as well. About halfway through the steps, she began to look up at him, and gain more confidence in the fact that her feet knew what they were doing. One of the final steps was a spin, and Hani was able to see the blush on Haruhi's face in the mirror's reflection as they finished the turn.

He began to creep silently out of the room. He'd ask Kaoru to help him with his costume. Glancing back to see the other two standing together, gazing into one another's eyes, he smiled.

"Dance like nobody's watching," he whispered to them as he slipped out the door. "Love like you've never been hurt."

* * *

**Author's Note: **You can thank my friend Win for reminding me that ff DOT net exists. She nudged me to start reading fics again, which of course inspired me to write some more of my own. As I've said before, I will finish posting all 50 of these lovequote prompts, but I will be posting them in order. If you're getting antsy for a new chapter (don't deny it, you do that sometimes), check out my new project at iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com.


	37. The Answer

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I do have a husband with the same wedding attitude as Mori.

* * *

At the beginning, it was obvious. The wedding planner should have known not to direct any questions to the groom, since everything he was asked was answered with some variation of, "you'll have to ask Haruhi."

It wasn't as though he didn't have his own opinions. He knew where he wanted the television set up in their first apartment, he just wanted to make sure his wife agreed with him. Although it got a bit trying on those who came to help them move in. The sixth time he said, "Well, we should probably ask Haruhi," Hikaru huffed out a breath, dropped the futon he'd been carrying, and pronounced the newly married man "hopeless. Completely hopeless," and stalked out of the apartment, shaking his head.

Later that evening when his bride returned from her first day back to work after the honeymoon, she surveyed the mess that was their home and glanced at her new husband, sighing, "I _knew_ we should have moved in before we left for Okinawa last week."

"There wasn't time," he reminded her, taking her hand.

"Well, why didn't you and the twins get anything done while I was at work today?"

He shifted a box over a few inches and shrugged. "I didn't want to move in without you."

"Was that the reason?" she asked, pulling out her mobile phone. "Because Hikaru sent me a text to let me know that you were," she paused to find her friend's exact words, "'useless without his wifey and completely hopeless at getting anything done.'" She plopped the phone back into her bag and raised both eyebrows at her husband.

"Is it 'hopeless' that you're my answer to every question?"

She laughed, and kissed him on the cheek. "No, I suppose not. And I do appreciate the thought."

"I just wanted to make this place _ours_."

"Oh, don't worry," she said, smiling mischievously. She took away the box he was holding and put it back down on the table to be unpacked later. "We will."


	38. Special

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. And I cannot always make the characters do what I want them to do.

* * *

Haruhi had never been the needy type. She had never needed her boyfriend to bring her a basket of strawberries (tied with a ribbon) every Tuesday morning. She hadn't needed to be taken out to a nice (but not too nice) restaurant every other Friday for dinner. She had also never needed to hold his hand as they both studied for classes on her couch on Saturday mornings. Of course she had never needed any of these things, but they were nice; she had gotten used to them.

So when Takashi stopped surprising her outside of the law library after her 11:30 lecture, when she realized she'd been sitting in a nice dress for two hours without being picked up, when she looked over and no one was sitting next to her as she underlined the flaws in a case file, Haruhi did not react as a normal girlfriend would. Any one of Kyoya or Tamaki's vapid broads would have thrown a fit. The girls Hikaru and Kaoru dated would have started throwing furniture. (Hani only ever dated girls with a sweet and understanding disposition.) Haruhi, however, simply scolded herself for becoming accustomed to expecting special treatment and went about her business as usual.

After a couple of weeks of this, she wondered vaguely in a rare moment of self reflection if this was what being dumped felt like. She momentarily considered asking Tamaki (the most dumped of all the Host Club), but shook her head immediately, dismissing the idea. Perhaps Takashi had been called out of the country unexpectedly and hadn't had time to let her know when he would be back.

The next Friday, after accidentally waiting all night for him to call, Haruhi looked herself in the mirror and told herself that this was _exactly_ what being dumped felt like.

Then she really did go about her business as usual. She took a tutoring job to fill up her Friday nights. She started having lunch with the twins after her 11:30 lecture. On Saturday mornings, she would go to see her father. She even went out on a date with Kyoya, who happened to be single at the time.

It was nice to have an extra source of income; her student worked hard and learned a lot, and once they even went to study at a nearby cafe. But it wasn't the same as spending time with Takashi. The twins were fun to hang out with, but their smiles were mostly reserved for their own mirth, and there was no secret smile just for her. Her father's hands were a different shape and size than Takashi's, and wouldn't have been available to hold hers even if she'd asked, since he was almost constantly waving them in the air while telling her a story. And Kyoya was a fine conversationalist, quite a pleasant dining companion, and a very eligible bachelor. But he didn't make her... _feel_... the same as Takashi did. He didn t make her feel special.

She smiled when she remembered something Takashi had once told her: "You don't need me or anyone else to make you special; you already are."

She wished he'd chosen a different way to show her.


	39. Always Loved

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I _did_ use this chapter in The Train.

* * *

Haruhi was pensive as they walked toward the gates of the Haninozuka property. As they passed through them, she looked up at them and sighed.

"Haruhi...?" Takashi began, hoping to find out what troubled her.

"Mitsukuni-san and Shuna-san went to ask for permission to marry, you know," she said. "That's why both of them were so dressed up. Tonight they asked Mitsukuni-san's parents if they could set a date for their wedding."

"Mitsukuni's father wanted to choose his bride, but Mitsukuni found Shuna on his own."

"I know," Haruhi nodded. "Shuna-san was upset because she didn't want to be the means of separating Mitsukuni-san from his father."

"I told Mitsukuni as much," Takashi replied.

"Did you?" Haruhi asked, surprised. At his smile and nod, she beamed up at him, and said, "Mori-sempai, you really are wonderful!"

Takashi couldn't think of a better segue to finally ask Haruhi to call him by his first name, but the bustle of getting onto the train delayed him a little. Then he realized that the only thing delaying him was his own irrational self, and opened his mouth again to ask her.

"Haruhi," he began, as she took hold of a pole near the door of the car. The train wasn't as crowded as that first time they'd run into one another, but most of the seats were taken by people headed home from work and an occasional student.

The doors of the train shut, and Haruhi interrupted him.

"I haven't thought this through," she said. "Shuna-san was very emotional tonight, and I'm afraid it rubbed off on me a little."

"Are you all right?" he asked, laying his hand on her shoulder, but she continued, still half talking to herself.

"Shuna-san is going to hang in there, and so will I. Love conquers all. Good luck, Shuna-san!"

"Haruhi." She looked up at him and seemed to notice that she had been speaking aloud. Then she glanced around at the other occupants of the car, blushed, took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders.

"Mori-sempai, I have something to say to you."

"I have something to ask you, too," he replied.

She deflated a little. "Do you mind if I go first?" she asked hesitantly.

He smiled. "Go ahead."

"I know that life is hard in different ways for different people. For the rich, it's hard to marry the person you love, because your parents might not approve of your choice. For the poor, it's hard to marry the person you love, because you might not have enough money to support one another or pay for a wedding. If you look hard enough, you can find problems in any situation. What's important is that you are with the person that you love, no matter what." She stopped to take a few steadying breaths, her face turning a deeper shade of red as she did. Then she reached out and took one of his hands in hers. "Mori-sempai," she said, looking into his eyes, "I can't promise you the world. I can't promise you wealth, comfort, or even happiness. But I can promise you one thing: no matter what happens, you will always be loved."

Takashi was sure that his face was as red as Haruhi's, and he caught the smirk on the face of a nearby passenger.

"Haruhi," he said, smiling down at her and squeezing her hand, "If you're going to confess to me, shouldn't you at least call me Takashi?"


	40. Hello

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I have known a few law students in my time, and believe me, they _live_ in the library.

* * *

Haruhi had spent sixty of the last seventy two hours in the law library. This wasn't terribly abnormal for a law student, but even so, Haruhi was frustrated. So much homework and nothing to look forward to but someday not having homework. She hadn't seen Kaoru or any of her other Host Club friends in such a long time that she wondered if the word "friend" still applied. It wasn't their fault, it was just that Haruhi was so busy with school that she hadn't had time to play. Work was all she'd known for several weeks.

She loved studying the law. It was her passion. But once in a while a break was a good thing. If only she had someone to just grab a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone with. Maybe at that place on the corner where she often saw students sitting, chatting, and laughing with each other at all hours of the day (or whenever she left the library for the night).

Everyone was probably busy, and she didn't have time to wait for someone to show up to sit and chat and laugh with her. She had to get home and grab some sleep before heading back to class in the morning, and then to the library.

"Hello?" Haruhi stopped. Had she heard someone call her name? She looked around, and spotted him, standing in front of the coffee shop. He was waving. "Haruhi! Hello!"

"Mori-sempai?"

He smiled. "How are you? Working hard?" He nodded at her overflowing backpack and her armful of books.

"I am," she responded, giving him a smile of her own. "But I have time for some tea, how about you?"

In response, he swung the coffee shop's door open and held it for her.

Hello is such a simple word. But from the right person, it can mean everything.


	41. The List

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran. I _do_ have a thing for megane characters, though.

* * *

Haruhi mused about many things during the down time before and after customers were present at the Host Club. Classes, what she was going to make for dinner, her study schedule, etc. But today she was thinking about something she had overheard on her way to the Club. Two of her classmates had been discussing which of the hosts was the best looking, and ranking them.

Haruhi was flattered to be in the top three on both girls' lists, and agreed with both that Tamaki should be #1, but what had her distracted was who should be in the #2 slot. The first girl had insisted that Haruhi was best after Tamaki, and the second had insisted the twins (in whichever order) were only barely bested by Tamaki's roguish smile. She didn't agree with either of them. Sure, exotic half European Tamaki went at the top of her list, but the twins would have been shocked to know that they occupied the bottom slot. Haruhi felt that even though Hani acted like a child, he certainly didn't look like one, especially in a suit with a solemn look on his face. If he could only get rid of the bunny, he would give Tamaki a run for his money.

This brought Haruhi to her dilemma: who was #2? The remaining candidates were both tall, dark, quiet, and handsome, albeit in very different ways. On one hand, Mori was very stoic and loyal, and she loved to watch him sit in the window while he gazed outside. Unfortunately he hardly ever opened his mouth; it was hard for her to know what he thought about anything, except his fierce devotion to his cousin. On the other hand, Kyoya was nice to look at when he was quietly calculating something (the glasses made him particularly handsome), but when he opened his mouth to remind her about her debt, he became spectacularly unattractive.

She had been staring at Kyoya at the end of club when she was ambushed. "Haru-chan, Haru-chan! You promised to come over today, remember?" Hani and Usa-chan reminded her.

"I haven't forgotten, Hani-sempai," she said, smiling at the boy and his rabbit.

"I'm so excited!" he reported. "I asked Sensei this morning and he said he was excited too!" She was able to continue her deliberation in the car on the way home, as Mori alternately gazed out the window and smiled at his cousin.

Though it was difficult to concentrate with Hani and his stuffed companion bouncing around the kitchen, she had just about made up her mind halfway through teaching the Haninozuka's European-trained pastry chef what to do with Japanese red beans. The way she saw it, the #2 slot really came down to the glasses. She was finalizing her decision to put the Morinozuka heir in the #3 position when the man in question walked into the kitchen.

"Mitsukuni, have you seen... oh, Haruhi is still here," he said. She was mixing something in a bowl and so did not look up until Hani leapt up from the stool he was perched on and demanded that Takashi try what Haruhi was making.

When she did look up, she decided that the yukata he was wearing obliterated Kyoya from his previous position. When he put down the paper he'd been holding and adjusted the spectacles on his nose before stepping over to her, she reconsidered the previously solid holder of the #1 slot. Tamaki? Tamaki who? But when he reached out and grabbed her hand (the one holding the spoon) to sample her handiwork, the list was destroyed.

As far as Haruhi was concerned, Morinozuka Takashi _was_ the list.


	42. Be Careful With Your Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran. But I have definitely lost my heart to it.

* * *

They faced each other across an unnecessarily expensive coffee table. The fresh flowers sitting on it cost more than she spent on groceries in a month.

The King of Drama sniffed and asked, "Is that really your answer?"

Inwardly rolling her eyes and at the same time feeling just a little bit sorry for him, she said "Yes, Sempai. I value your friendship, but I can't see our relationship ever being any more than just that."

Behind them, money changed hands from one twin to the other. Kyoya made a check mark in his notebook. Hani chomped on some cakes, and the other senior was conspicuous by his absence.

After a few minutes of silence, he gasped and said "Oh, Haruhi, be _careful_ with your heart! If you give it away, you may never get it back again!" And with that, he fled from the room, presumably in tears.

The twins were at her side immediately, to "comfort" her, she was offered cakes by Hani, and Kyoya offered to lower her debt for the inconvenience.

She shook them off and left the room herself. As she closed the door, she found Mori standing there, looking subdued as usual.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Mori-sempai, thank you."

* * *

Three years later, Haruhi shook off the twins again and retreated to the room she'd been forced to go to almost every day of her high school life. She took off her cap and set it and her diploma on an expensive couch, and the first place she went was the window seat, where he used to sit so often to gaze out the window.

She sank down onto the comfortable cushion and glanced out onto the grounds.

That was when she realized that he'd been right.

She felt sorry now, that she hadn't been more kind to Tamaki that day, let him down easier, or something. She had always felt that being honest and tactful was the best way to go about things. Why sugar coat something when you could just tell it like it is?

"Haruhi?"

She wanted to shrink behind the rich curtains, hoping that no one would find her.

"Haru-chan, Tama-chan wants another picture of us all together. After all, it's not every day the last of the original Host Club graduates!"

She sighed.

"I'll be right there, Hani-sempai."

She stood and looked out the window again, then retrieved her cap and diploma. She looked at her Sempai, who was now six inches taller than he'd been the last time she had seen him.

She started to smile and comment on the change, when he sighed and put his hand on her arm.

"Don't be sad, Haruhi. Takashi will come around."

"I'll be all right, Hani-sempai." She glanced back toward the window. "Even if I never get my heart back."

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! If you would like to request a fic, check out _I Will Write Your Fic _(check my profile for a link), and I'd be happy to be inspired by your idea or write something sweet about your favorite pairing!

My writing partner (Stella Malodi) and I are working very hard on a new Mori/Haruhi fic, which we hope will be ready soon. You can Follow me to make sure you don't miss it.


	43. Strawberry Shaped

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I did get some good deals on produce this week.

* * *

Haruhi was frustrated. Her father was sick and being clingy, so in addition to worrying about him she was not able to adequately study at home. She had missed a particularly good special at the market last week, and had ended up having to pay twice what she would have had she only shown up a day earlier. She wasn't pleased with the paper for Classical Japanese on the use and meaning of the word "en" that she had turned in earlier in the day. And on top of all of this, there was the Host Club, whose antics she figured that she should be used to by now.

As she poured a cup of tea for one of her designators, she heard Hani-sempai calling that it was time for cake. "Yes," she answered half-heartedly, and after a moment went to fetch some for her customers.

She waited next to Mori-sempai as he made sure to get enough cake for his customers and Hani-sempai too. He handed her the cake server and she got to work, but before he walked away he held something out to her.

"Would you like a strawberry?" he asked.

Sometime someone can say something so small and meaningful that it manages to fit right into that empty space in your heart.

* * *

Author's note: If you like this little collection of fics, you'll love my new Mori/Haruhi fic, coauthored with Stella Malodi, called The Unbroken Vase. Go check it out!


	44. The Heart's Unspoken Words

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ouran. I do still have my graduation cap and gown, though.

* * *

Haruhi hadn't been surprised to find the eye drops in the costume room. She always knew something was up with the deluge of tears that engulfed the Club daily. Tamaki's eyes welled up at the sight or mention of something beautiful. The twins clung to one another, their cheeks wet with the essence of brotherly love. Hani wailed for comfort when he woke from a bad dream or accidentally dropped or stepped on Usa-chan. Glancing back at the bottle, Haruhi considered that Hani's tears, at least, might _not_ have been faked.

She also wasn't surprised at the Shadow King's lack of concern when she presented the evidence to him after Club. "Haven't you heard the old saying, Haruhi?" he asked. "'Tears are the words that the heart cannot say.'"

Haruhi turned away, muttering about rich bastards, and joined the only other host that might share her opinion. He was watching his cousin enjoy some post-nap time cake, so she hopped up onto the window seat next to him to ask him what he thought.

"I could never fake tears," she vented to him. "I find that being genuine and truthful is the best way to make friends. I don't understand them at all," she gestured toward the other members of the Host Club.

He nodded in agreement, and eyed his cousin, who was wolfing down some confections. "Mitsukuni's are real."

"That's what I mean," Haruhi continued. "He's being himself. That's just the way he is." She tucked the eye drops in her pocket. "Kyōya-sempai says that 'tears are the words that the heart cannot say.'"

"Kyōya is wise," he responded.

She scoffed. "So what are their pretended tears saying? 'Pay attention to me'?" He smiled at her, some of her righteous anger dissolved, and she smiled back. "I will never cry for _attention_," she vowed, and then furrowed her brow. "In fact, I don't think I've cried since I was seven or eight, on the anniversary of my mother's death, at her grave."

"You missed her," he pointed out, "but you couldn't say the words."

Haruhi frowned. "I suppose that's true..." she admitted, "but I can't see it ever happening again."

"Maybe it will, maybe not," he said. "You might be surprised."

That conversation was the first thing Haruhi thought of when she found her father and boyfriend waiting outside the auditorium to greet her when she triumphantly exited with her newly received college diploma. Her father smiled, and watched as tears rolled off of Haruhi's face and dripped from her chin when Morinozuka Takashi got down on his knee and asked his beautiful daughter for her hand in marriage.

"I told you it might happen again," her new fiance whispered to her when he stood and slipped the engagement ring on her finger. "You can keep the words in your heart; I already know what they are."

She shook her head and used the sleeve of her graduation gown to wipe off her face. "I can say them," she said firmly. She looked up into his eyes as another tear escaped and slid down her cheek.

"I love you."


	45. A Promise

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I also have never studied abroad; turns out it's harder to do that sort of thing after you graduate from college.

* * *

She was leaving for America in two weeks. She had plenty to do, and so did they. She had to pack up her whole life, and they had to keep Tamaki from bothering her while she did so. They were surprised that she had any time to give them during her final days in Japan, even more so when she called them over to her apartment for a "meeting, just like the old days."

Tamaki and the twins were excited, having hardly been allowed inside the place since she'd moved in, and Hani was hoping she'd baked a goodbye cake to share with them. Kyoya managed to find some time in his schedule, and Mori brought strawberries.

"I'm glad you all had time to come today," their hostess adressed them after they were all seated with hot tea before them, "because I want to ask you all to give me something."

The three loudest were warm in their vows to provide her with whatever she might need, be it clothing or tranportation or technology. She cut them all off with a wave of her hand, and they clammed up and sipped their tea, anxious to respect her role as hostess, anxious not to be tossed out on their ears as they had been during previous visits.

"A promise is all that I want," she began when quiet was restored, "a promise that you will never forget me."

The peanut gallery began up again, in the style of "how could you think we would ever..." but a look snuffed out their cries. "I am going to be different when I come back (if I come back), and the next time you see me, I will not be the same as I was. I will not be the same as I am now. It's not that I think I'm going to turn into some horrible monster unworthy of calling you my friends, but I wanted you all to know that I treasure the memories that I made in high school with you, and I would like you to promise me that you will do the same."

She shot the Haruhi Approval Group™ a glare before they could start up again, and continued. "I've thought about it quite a bit, and I want you all to as well. Let me know your answer before I leave the country, please."

They all were thinking different thoughts as they exited Haruhi's apartment that night. Mostly they were confused, but none so much as Hani, who had been sure Haruhi wouldn't leave without sharing some cake with him.

She was clearing out her closet when the first one arrived. "Thank you for giving me second chances," he told her, "I know I wore you out, but I want you to know that I will always appreciate your patience." Before he could get all gushy on her, she patted him on the back, gave him a smile, and showed him out.

The second arrived not long after. "Thank you for showing me the merits of the lower classes," he began, and when he saw her dark look, cleared his throat and muttered, "and thank you for spending time with me at the shopping center the time that Tamaki stranded me there; I will always treasure that memory." He was awarded with a hug.

The third and fourth arrived in a pair (as always), and began in unison as soon as the door was opened: ""Thank you for helping us to see that we're not the same."" They grinned twin grins at one another, and continued separately. "Thank you for inspiring me," "and me," "to be myself," "while still being stuck with _him_." A punch and a shove were exchanged. ""You'll never be replaced as the #1 winner of the 'Which One is Hikaru' game!"" Before they left, she correctly identified that they'd switched hairstyles again. They gave her a Hitachiin sandwich/hug and told her they'd miss her.

The fifth presented himself to thank her for sharing a snack with him when he'd had a cavity. "Even though it wasn't sweet," he remembered, "it's the thought that counts." When she produced the homemade strawberry cake that she'd made just for him, he ate it happily, saying through frosting covered lips, "I knew you'd never leave without sharing cake with me!"

Haruhi waited for the final member of the Host Club to show himself. She waited as she packed up her books, as she carefully wrapped up the breakable things in her kitchen, and as she packed the final essential things into the suitcase she'd take on the plane. He didn't come.

But when she opened the door, ready to wheel her suitcase out to the taxi that was waiting to take her to the airport, there he was.

"Don't go," he said.

"What? Mori-sempai...?"

"I don't want you to change."

She sighed. "But we _all_ change; it's a part of life."

"Then don't go."

This time she laughed. "I can't _not_ go. I've been planning and looking forward to this for a long time."

"Then don't go... don't go without me."

"What?" she asked, blinking in confusion. "You're welcome to visit, but-"

"A promise is all I want," he told her, stepping closer. "A promise that you will never forget me."

Haruhi started to say, "Of course I won't," but only got as far as "Of c" because Mori swept her into his arms and kissed her like they were the last two people on earth.

When he released her and she got her breath back, she called the airline to delay her flight.

America would still be there tomorrow.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! If you haven't yet, please go check out my first writing experiment with Stella Malodi: The Unbroken Vase! It is a Mori/Haruhi story about what would have happened if Tamaki had listened to Haruhi _just once_ the first day she stumbled into the Third Music Room. (Spoiler: the sparing of an expensive vase was not the only thing that changed.)


	46. The Simplicity of Fate

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. But I have been in that embarrassing confession situation.

* * *

The Third Music Room was dark and quiet. They were the only two inside, thankfully. She didn't want anyone else to hear what she was about to say. She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands, clasped in his, and gathered up her courage.

"Meeting you was fate," she barely whispered. Looking up into his eyes, she continued. "Becoming your friend was choice. But falling in love with you... was completely out of my control."

They gazed into one another's eyes for a tense moment before he gasped and threw his arms around her. "Oh, Haruhi, I love you too!" he declared, and commenced trying to kiss her on the cheek.

"Ugh." She pushed his face away. "I knew this was a terrible idea."

The second he broke character as the love of Haruhi's life, he was rolling around on the floor laughing. "Did_ Tamaki_ tell you to say that?" he managed to gasp between bouts of laughter. "Or was it something you got from those terrible girl comics Mei's always giving you?"

"It sounded nicer in my head," she complained, nudging him with her toe. "And _you_ sounded nicer, earlier, Kaoru! You said you wouldn't make fun!"

"I didn't know you were going to go all _soap opera_!" he pointed out. "With the dramatic pause and everything! Good thing you practiced beforehand. Mori-sempai might have thought you were playing a joke on him!"

Haruhi blushed to the roots of her hair. "I never told you who I was confessing to!"

"Psht, please," the twin said, standing up. "As if we couldn't figure it out. You asked me, Hikaru, and Tamaki for help. And don't think we didn't see you asking Kyoya-sempai first. I know you think Hani-sempai is nice, but that he's not your type."

Haruhi chewed on her lip and wondered if her thoughts and feelings were this transparent to Kaoru, who else was capable of seeing right through her?

"Anyway..." he continued after Haruhi simply sighed and rolled her eyes. "Who else was left but Mori-sempai?"

"It could have been... someone else," she argued half heartedly.

"Like who?" he countered. "Casanova-kun?"

"He's just a friend."

"Arai-kun?"

"He was a classmate!"

"I'm sure you were just trying to fake us out, then, and the confession's actually meant for Hikaru?"

She shook her head. "I've already given him my answer."

Kaoru spread both his hands and looked from the left to the right as if searching for the person Haruhi wanted to confess to.

"Fine, it's Mori-sempai!" she half shouted. "It's Mori-sempai, it's always been Mori-sempai, and it'll always be Mori-sempai! Now are you going to help me with this or what?!"

Kaoru grinned. "I just did."

The object of Haruhi's affections was standing next to the door, as if he couldn't decide whether he should slip out quietly or stay.

Haruhi's face and neck turned magenta. Kaoru had never seen her so embarrassed, and that was saying something.

_But,_ he reflected, as he left the two of them alone in the room, _she'd have been far more embarrassed if she'd confessed using that stupid line._

* * *

Author's Note: Some of the love quotes are too ridiculous to do anything with. At that point, there's nothing for me to do but make fun of them. Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'll soon be out of quotes! So send me your requests: iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com or pm me. I do tons of different pairings across lots of different fandoms (and I'm even open for weird crossovers!) Thanks for reading!


	47. Evangelizing the Magnificence of Mori

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran. But my remote control does eject its batteries like that every time _I_ throw it across the room, too.

* * *

The television was on. They didn't usually watch television, except for the news, but their friends from the Host Club had been over that evening, and had wanted to watch something that was apparently very popular. "We can't miss a single episode!" the former king pleaded. The Morinozukas were good hosts, so Haruhi had clicked it on, and Tamaki, the twins, and Mitsukuni had crowded around it for about an hour and a half, mesmerized. Haruhi and Takashi got to visit with Kyoya uninterrupted, so it was a nice night for everyone.

Although after everyone left, the couple sat down next to one another to read as they did most nights. Takashi picked up his book, and Haruhi picked up the remote control to turn off the television and ended up engrossed in the drama that happened to follow whatever their guests had been watching.

"Rubbish!" Takashi was jarred from his book by Haruhi's shout and by the remote control flying across the room and ejecting its batteries as it bounced off the wall. He took stock of the situation. Dishes done, shoes by the door instead of under the table, umbrella hanging up instead of tossed on the floor. After making sure she wasn't upset about anything he had done (or hadn't done), he looked a bit closer at the room just to double check. The television was still on, and there was a happy couple snuggling together on a park bench which his wife was glaring at.

"Haruhi...?" he began cautiously.

"How ridiculous. Who writes this stuff?!" She stood, and though she had just thrown it across the room, she retrieved the remote control and in her practical way, began putting the batteries back in and replacing the cover.

Her husband closed his book. "The... drama?"

"Didn't you hear what he just said to her?!" she gestured at the television, which had cut to a montage of the happy couple on a date: paddleboating, shopping together, sharing the same ice cream cone.

"I was reading."

His wife took a deep breath and replaced the remote in its spot in front of the television set. "He just told her, '_I never want another person to know just how incredible you are_.'"

Takashi thought the line was a bit over the top and a little ridiculous, and his wife knew him well enough to read the expression on his face.

Apparently that was sufficient as a response, because she continued as though he had said something. "I know!" she shouted. Then she took a deep breath, which Takashi took as an attempt to calm down. "Did you know that I talk about you so much at work that all my kohai call you 'Magnificent Mori' behind my back?"

He honestly tried not to laugh, but it didn't work. She was just so angry and so serious and so cute, he couldn't help himself. His response took some of the winds of fury out of her sails, and a smile cracked its way through her wrathful exterior.

"They do!" she insisted. "They don't think I know they do, but I've overhead them giggling about it!"

They shared a laugh and Haruhi returned to her husband's side, taking the hand he'd stretched out to her.

"I want _everyone_ to know how incredible you are," she told him, as she leaned into him and he put his arms around her. "Why keep something so wonderful all to myself?"

Takashi smiled into her hair. "I love you, too."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! And if you love Mori/Haruhi as much as I do (and I know you do, don't deny it; you're reading this, after all), please check out the Mori/Haruhi fic coauthored by Stella Malodi & I, called The Unbroken Vase!


	48. Wrong and Right

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, nor have I ever gotten flowers from my spouse when we have a fight... hmm, I'll have to speak to him about that...

* * *

"You mean you've never had a fight?!" asked Haruhi's co-worker incredulously, having just finished bragging about the huge load of flowers her boyfriend had just sent her in order to make up for a terrible fight they had had the week before.

"We've had disagreements," Haruhi admitted, "mostly about how much to spend on dinner, but Takashi usually lets me choose as long as I let him take me somewhere fancy every once in a while."

"That's not a fight," her friend informed her. "He's never cheated on you, or stood you up, or... or done anything that made you angry? He's never sent you flowers to apologize?"

Haruhi smiled. "Well, he does bring me fresh strawberries every Saturday morning," she admitted. "But I hope he doesn't do that because he thinks I'm angry with him."

"Fights are never fun, but the making up part is what's best. It's almost worth the fight!" Her friend shot her a sideways glance. "You guys... do stuff, right? You've kissed?"

Haruhi blushed. "Takashi kissed me once..."

"Once?!"

"I think it was about three years ago," Haruhi continued.

Shaking her head, Haruhi's friend said, "There's something wrong with you two..."

She was telling Takashi about the conversation that evening as she made tea. He had come over for dinner, and she usually shared with him the things that were on her mind, so she stood in the kitchen and told him every particular.

"I just don't see why getting flowers is so wonderful, if you have to endure a dramatic scene in order to get them. I mean, I could buy flowers for myself if I wanted them." She poured the boiling water into the tea pot and left it to steep. "But she says that we're not right; that normal couples do that sort of thing all the time."

She turned to join Takashi in the living room, and only had time to register that he was standing right in front of her before she was swept up into his arms. The kiss he was giving her wasn't anything like the peck he'd bestowed on her years ago, but it was pleasant, and Haruhi enjoyed it very much.

Both were slightly breathless when he pulled back to look into her eyes. "We can fight about anything you want," he said. "I'll bring you flowers every day. We can hold hands and even kiss in public; I'll shout to the world that I love you."

Haruhi blushed and her heart sped up even more.

"Just don't say we aren't right for each other," he whispered, leaning close again. "The way I see it, we aren't right for anyone else."

* * *

Author's Note: Soon I will be out of these lovequotes and it will be time to end! But! I would like to write something for you. YES, YOU. pm me a request or check out iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com to see how we can work together to write something awesome.


	49. Advice Not Given

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, nor have I ever used a grand piano to confess my feelings for someone (I favor the "Haruhi way of confessing").

* * *

She had asked advice from the wrong people.

Once she had gotten the twins started on stories of the various ways they'd been confessed to, she could hardly get them to stop, and finally, only by yelling "AND WHERE EXACTLY AM I SUPPOSED TO **GET** A GRAND PIANO?!" could she get them to quiet down enough for them to realize she was walking out of the room.

"Bake him a cake!" Hani advised.

"Sit down with him and rationally explain your reasons for forming a partnership and present your ideas clearly and without any unnecessary flourish," Kyoya commanded.

Tamaki had his advice all ready (he'd overheard her trying to quietly ask the twins and had already finished both crying and wondering whether he himself was the object of her affections), but was left with his mouth hanging open as she walked past him without even sparing him a glance.

They were all gathered rather conspicuously behind a large pillar in the Music Room as she stood a few feet away from Mori as he sat and silently gazed out the window.

"She's not taking my advice?" Hani wondered aloud as he clutched Usa-chan with one hand and a plate of cake in the other.

"It looks like she's taking mine," Kyoya said, his tone conveying satisfaction.

""She might be taking ours,"" the twins chorused, pointing at the piano in the corner of the room.

Tamaki, whose advice had not had the chance to become known, pouted in a nearby corner.

"Mori-sempai, could I bother you for a moment?" Haruhi asked.

He turned toward her in answer to her question.

She cleared her throat. "I think it would be best if I... I mean... I would like to confess my feelings for you."

Mori's eyebrows went up.

"What I mean to say is... it's not... it's not what I feel for you, it's what I... _don't_ feel for anyone _but_ you."

He smiled and leaned forward a bit so that he could take her by the hand. She blushed.

The twins rolled their eyes in tandem. ""What a _Haruhi_ way of confessing,"" they drawled. "Boring," said one, "let's go home," said the other.

Hani plopped down on the floor, produced a fork out of nowhere, and enjoyed the cake in honor of his friends' happiness.

"She didn't even present the many ways that her addition to the Morinozuka family would be beneficial," Kyoya said, his tone incredulous.

Tamaki's eyes were full of tears as he surveyed the scene and said, "That's exactly what _I_ was going to tell her to do!"

But no one paid any attention to him.

* * *

Author's Note: Soon we will be at an end! Thank you for reading, and as always, if you would like to request a fic (any pairing, many fandoms), pm me and/or go check out iwillwriteyourficDOTblogspotDOTcom (link on my profile)!


	50. Meant to Be

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, but I guess I was always meant to finish this fan fiction challenge. If you like this collection, feel free to check my profile for other things I've written!

* * *

"Your mother and I were meant to be!" her father declared as they stood next to the grave on the anniversary of her mother's death. "And what's meant to be will always find a way!"

Usually, she hated when he said that.

She was worried about her application to Ouran. Instead of telling her there was no way she wouldn't get in, he had admonished her, "what's meant to be will always find a way!"

When she complained about having to join the Host Club, he smiled and said, "well, what's meant to be will always find a way."

She rolled her eyes at Tamaki's antics, and her father chimed, "what's meant to be will always find a way... or in this case, what _isn't_ meant to be, um... **won't** be. Ever."

When he found her sitting at the living room table by herself in the dark, silent tears running down her cheeks from worry, he just smiled and wished her luck in her planned confession the next morning and said quietly, "what's meant to be will always find a way."

Which wasn't very comforting at the time, but after she'd gotten Mori-sempai alone and hurriedly said what she'd wanted to say, it turned out that what she wanted _was_ meant to be, and thankfully, it had finally found its way.

* * *

Author's Note: **Thank you **for reading! Thanks especially to those who have been reading from the very beginning and who suffered through several years of hiatus. Thanks especially to kiera-sama, Kitten Kisses, EvilFaerie17, JustJolola, Random Ravings (who reminded me of my love of writing fanfics), and Stella Malodi (for her support, encouragement, & willingness to bounce ideas around)! Thank you to everyone who reviewed & favorited & followed.

Whenever someone supplies me with another 50 love quotes, I'll start again :D


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